


Affectionate Atypicalities

by RoRoUrBoat



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Kaiba Seto Has Issues, Light Angst, M/M, Prideshipping, but he tries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29339871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoRoUrBoat/pseuds/RoRoUrBoat
Summary: There's a long list of things in the world that Seto Kaiba is good at. Duel Monsters is near the top of that list, right under jumping to conclusions.
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi | Atem
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14
Collections: Dark Valentines of Dimensions 2021





	Affectionate Atypicalities

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YeontanStan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YeontanStan/gifts).



> Howdy, y'all! This is my first fic exchange, so it was super exciting to write for! My assigned prompt basically gave me free reign to write whatever I wanted, so it was somehow both challenging and simple, haha. Here's hoping you like it, YeontanStan!
> 
> I used the dialogue prompt “don’t fuck with my feelings just because you’re unsure of yours” and the kiss prompt “a kiss so passionate, so perfect - that afterwards, neither person can open their eyes for a few moments.”

Seto Kaiba didn't generally celebrate holidays that Mokuba wasn't interested in. Romantic holidays fell under that category. As that was the case, Kaiba didn't have expectations for today. He didn't expect flowers, or chocolates, or romance, or his annoying rival.

In fact, he figured Atem had probably found some girl to entertain him today. Maybe that Mazaki girl who seemed so fond of him.

Not that Kaiba was thinking about Atem. At all.

…

Anyway, the point was that Kaiba had zero expectations. None at all.

That’s why, when Atem walked his smug ass through Kaiba’s office door, unannounced, Kaiba only steepled his hands and raised an eyebrow. Unaffected.

Atem looked around the office as though Kaiba wasn’t there. Cocky as usual. Very typical.

Except, of course, that Atem was here instead of out with Mazaki or whoever else he wanted to spend today with.  _ Not  _ in line with typicality. That was… Interesting information to file away for later.

“So,” Atem started, walking to stand right in front of Kaiba’s desk, “I see you’re not busy today.” Atem swirled his finger along the tabletop, and Kaiba narrowed his eyes. Despite Atem’s cocked hip and open stance, he was nervous. His fidgety hands and lack of eye contact clearly displayed as much. Kaiba leveled a flat stare and leaned back in his chair, gesturing widely.

“Unless you think running a major corporation is as simple as being a retired ancient pharaoh,” Kaiba snarked, “then sure, I’m not busy.” Atem glared, but it was half-hearted. Huh. Something else to file away.

“Considering, though,” Kaiba continued, if for nothing else than propriety's sake, “the fact that running Kaiba Corp.  _ is  _ harder than I make it look, I don’t have time for whatever villain the world needs saving from right now,” he finished, sitting forward again and typing away on his computer. Atem hummed. 

“Be that as it may… I bet you have time for a simple, no-stakes duel,” Atem said, still not quite making eye contact. Kaiba narrowed his eyes. 

“You know that there’s no such thing as a no-stakes duel.” It was an accusation, one with a certain amount of venom behind it. Despite the vitriol, Atem grinned lightly and nodded.

“That’s just what I was hoping you’d say.” Atem’s smug smile stayed in place when Kaiba stilled his hands on the computer. He knew he was taking Atem’s bait for… whatever he had planned, but damn it all if Kaiba wasn’t curious. He never knew his rival to disappoint, so here he was, caught hook line and sinker.

Kaiba gestured a hand for Atem to go on, biting the inside of his cheek as he did so. He didn’t like having to concede Atem any sort of victory, but if Kaiba’s calculations were correct, this would all pay off.

Assuming, that is, Kaiba got his answers.

Atem’s grin widened at Kaiba’s gesture, and Kaiba would be damned if that smile didn’t look genuinely happy. Another weird reaction. Kaiba had to resist a snort. Before Kaiba could fully process it, though, Atem was speaking and Kaiba had to push all thoughts of anything other than  _ the game  _ out of his head.

“I’m proposing a wager,” Atem declared, all sweeping gestures and dramatic posture. This time, Kaiba did snort, though it wasn’t in derision. Atem gave him some indecipherable look, and Kaiba almost snarled. Why was he being so… so  _ reactive _ today? Sure, Atem always brought out certain emotions in Kaiba, but humor? Never. Kaiba glared at Atem until that look faded and he started talking again.

“You seem to think you have better things to do today than duel me,” Atem began, “So if you can beat me, I’ll leave you alone. You can drudge through the rest of the day uninterrupted and unbothered. If I win, though…” Atem grinned a Cheshire grin, and Kaiba felt his knuckles pop with how hard he was clenching his fist. 

“Go on,” Kaiba bit out.

“If I win,” Atem repeated, “you have to do one as-of-now unspecified thing for me.” Kaiba raised an eyebrow at Atem. Atem ignored it.

“Of course,” he continued, “It won’t be something extravagant or business-ruining. Just… A little favor.” Once Atem was finished, cards on the table, so to speak, it was Kaiba’s turn. Taking a moment to contemplate his move, Kaiba stared at Atem.

“How lame,” Kaiba finally settled with, “Do you really think that I can’t call Isono up here and have you off the premises at a moment’s notice?” Atem seemed to deflate at the words, and Kaiba’s mind, always whirling faster than Kaiba himself, scrambled to find some way to fix that.

Before Kaiba knew it, words he hadn’t approved were coming out of his mouth. “I’ll play your game, but you have to raise the stakes. Make it worth my while.”

Atem perked back up, and  _ why _ did that send Kaiba’s heart rate skyrocketing? Kaiba had dueled Atem more than enough times to know what… reactions it elicited from his body, and this was not in line with any of those.

Was it the private quarters, the lack of any cheering audience or villain? Or maybe it was anger. Annoyance at the way the pharaoh had disrupted Kaiba’s day so easily.

Regardless, Kaiba wasn’t about to back down on words he’d already spoken.

“The only way to make this whole ‘wager’ worth my while is to set things equal. So,  _ when _ I win,” Kaiba said, face bored, “I’ll expect you to do me a favor similar to what you were going to ask for.”

Atem chuckled. “You never do things half-assed, do you, Kaiba? Alright, I accept.” Atem reached behind his back and pulled out his duel disk, equipping it with very little of his usual flair. Kaiba couldn't help but frown as he, too, equipped his duel disk without any panache.

Kaiba couldn’t help but focus on the…  _ different _ energy of the room as the holograms booted up. It was mid-day, so the sun coming through Kaiba’s wide windows illuminated the office well, but it seemed somehow dimmer than usual. Definitely more private than any of their other duels. It was quiet, too, without the Loser Brigade to encourage Atem. Kaiba could almost hear the whirring of the hologram devices preparing to bring cards to life.

And that was another thing!  _ Why _ was Atem here without his little posse? If he wasn’t alone with some girl, then surely Atem’s next option would be running amuck around Domino with his friends? Or, if he’d meant to duel, shouldn’t he have brought at least Yugi to back him up?

Kaiba wasn’t a man used to dealing with the unknown for very long. It rubbed him the wrong way to be uncertain about anything, especially something he’d been so sure of as his rival.

The soft sound of metal tapping against flesh ripped Kaiba from his thoughts, and he refocused to see Atem with one hand held out, the other on top of it. Ah. A coin flip, then.

“Heads,” Kaiba called before Atem could even ask. Kaiba looked at Atem’s face and caught a flash of a different sort of grin than the normal cocky one, but it was gone before Kaiba could properly analyze it. Atem lifted his hand slowly and Kaiba held his breath.

“Heads,” Atem confirmed, nodding to Kaiba. Kaiba exhaled deeply and looked at his cards. 

Pot of Greed, Y-Dragon Head, Enemy Controller, and Ring of Destruction. Not a bad starting hand.

“I’ll start by playing Pot of Greed,” Kaiba said, his voice echoing back to him uncomfortably in the close quarters, “Which lets me draw two cards from my deck.” He wasn’t sure why he was explaining the card. There was no audience to pander to nor a villain to talk down to. It was just Kaiba and Atem.

Kaiba resisted shaking his head and drew two cards. Thirst for Compensation and The Flute of Summon Dragon. Kaiba stared into the despondent eyes of the man on the Thirst for Compensation card and nearly snarled. Why did Kaiba keep such a weakling in his deck, again?

With more bite to his voice than strictly necessary, Kaiba said, “I play Y-Dragon Head in attack mode and end my turn.” As he watched the red mechanical dragon appear on his side of the field, he was frustrated to find that it continued to feel wrong. The beast was too large for the room, making Kaiba feel a claustrophobia he hadn’t in a long time. Kaiba felt his lips turn from a neutral position to a frown against his will.

He didn’t have much time to focus, however, as Atem was making his move. Kaiba needed to get his head back into the game, or he’d suffer yet another defeat.

The idea of another loss at the pharaoh’s hands churned his stomach.

“I place two cards face down.” Atem’s first move turned Kaiba’s attention back to the duel field. Two face-down cards appeared on Atem’s side, shimmering brightly and reflecting off of Atem’s skin while casting shadows on Kaiba’s own.

  
  
Kaiba scanned Atem’s face for… anything to give him away. What he’d played, what  _ other _ game he was playing, or even if he inexplicably knew what was going on in Kaiba’s head. 

In his observation, Kaiba caught a slight quirk of Atem’s lips, which he watched open softly to say, “I think you know this next card well.” Kaiba swallowed thickly. Atem slipped a card into the spell slot on his duel disk and smiled that  _ stupid soft smile _ .

“I play Fiend’s Sanctuary! This card,” Atem said, smile turning sharper, “Allows me to summon a Metal Fiend to my side of the field at the cost of 1000 Life Points per turn. It-”

“Spare me the details.” Kaiba ground out, “I know damn well what it does. It was my card first, after all, so just get on with the duel!” 

Atem, despite Kaiba’s vitriol, nodded softly. “Yes, you gave this card to me to help me defeat a great evil. I remember it fondly.”

Kaiba snorted, but his heart gave an uncomfortable jump nonetheless. What the hell was with the use of that word? Fondly. Yeah right. 

Back to the important things… what the hell was Atem even doing with that still in his deck, let alone on the field this early in the game? Did he not have any monster cards? Was this his only early defense? But no, he had two face-down cards…

“You know,” Atem said, drawing Kaiba’s attention, “I think you also remember the duel in which I used this card.” Kaiba rolled his eyes, and Atem continued. “I played it without looking. I knew it was the card you’d given me because I could feel your very soul pulsing through it. Even now…” Atem trailed off, never breaking eye contact with Kaiba, and despite himself, Kaiba felt a flush creeping up his neck.

Anger, most likely. Kaiba clenched a fist but stayed silent. If Atem was about to reveal the rules to this other game, Kaiba would wait. It was the only viable strategy he had.

“Even now,” Atem continued, “I believe that I know where our souls connect. I know what our souls  _ share _ , and I suppose I could be wrong, but I’m willing to gamble that I’m not.” Atem took a step closer, and  _ when had he gotten so close _ ?

Kaiba held his ground, though his thoughts were spinning. What did Atem mean? Was this just more magical bullshit? Sure, Atem had always been a cryptic bastard, but this was too much. 

  
Kaiba took a step back.

Sweeping his hand over his duel disk, he disengaged, sending the holograms shimmering into oblivion, leaving just Atem and Kaiba.

Without the holograms in the way, Kaiba could really see how close Atem was. Just a few paces. Atem’s eyes widened and he put a foot behind the other, almost stepping back but not quite.

“Kaiba? Wh-”

  
“I’m done.”   
  
“What? Since when do you ever-”   
  
“I don’t play games I don’t know the rules to. I’m not stupid. So,” Kaiba snarled, feet carrying him towards Atem, “You’re gonna tell me what the  _ hell _ is going on, or I’ll throw you out of this office myself.”

Atem’s eyes were wide, like this was the one thing he  _ hadn’t  _ expected, and Kaiba felt a certain vindication. Served Atem right. He clearly didn’t know Kaiba as well as he claimed to.

“Kaiba, I- I thought-” As the great pharaoh stumbled over his words, Kaiba stepped one pace closer.

“You thought what? That I could read your mind? That  _ you _ could read my  _ soul _ ? That’s bullshit,” he spat. “I’d be willing to bet that you just came here to duel me because you have some  _ shit _ you need to sort out and you thought it’d be easier to preach some sanctimonious garbage than face yourself.”   
  


Atem, in short response, narrowed his eyes.

“I know why I’m here, Kaiba, and you’re  _ wrong. _ ”

“Oh yeah? And why’s that? Surely it’s not because we’re  _ friends _ ,” Kaiba scoffed. 

Atem set his shoulders and said, “I wanted to see you today. I thought you might feel the same.”

Kaiba stopped. His mind ran with Atem’s words. Why today? Why  _ him _ ? What was so-

Today.

Kaiba’s mind came to a screeching halt.

  
Today was one of those  _ damnable  _ romantic holidays Kaiba had no expectations about. That sent Kaiba’s thoughts into overdrive, trying to determine why exactly Atem would want to see him.

Atem sighed in front of him.

“Occam's Razor, Kaiba.” 

“What?”

“I can almost  _ hear _ the gears in your head turning, but you refuse to see that the correct answer is the simplest one.”

“What.”

“Kaiba, I came here because I thought-” Kaiba could feel another stupid speech coming on, and his knee-jerk reaction engaged.

“You  _ thought _ ? Let me guess; you  _ thought _ you were feeling…  _ things _ about me and decided to come test it out. Push my buttons and see how that made you feel. Well,  _ pharaoh _ ,” Kaiba was spitting his words, and he knew he was about to say something stupid, but he couldn’t stop.  “I have news for you;  _ that’s not how this works. _ So don’t fuck with my feelings just because you’re unsure of yours.”

The office was silent after Kaiba’s own little speech, and he rewound his words in his head. Had he really said that? Fuck.

Atem peered up at Kaiba and cocked his head lightly. “Your feelings?” Atem asked softly. Kaiba looked away, tapping his foot. He’d really done it now. There was no way Atem was about to let that go.

“I’m…” Kaiba started, calculating his next words carefully. Atem was quiet, still staring.

“You-” Kaiba stopped and grunted. What the fuck was he about to say?

  
“I’ve been having… atypical reactions. About you. They don’t line up with previous trials,” Kaiba finally managed, grinding his teeth. “But I’m not throwing shit at a wall and seeing what sticks. I  _ respect  _ you enough to not ruin our rivalry with my own…” Kaiba bit his lip. “Confusions.” His face settled into a glare, and he looked back at Atem. “So come back when you’re done making fools out of both of us.”

Kaiba turned his back, and Atem grabbed the back of his coat. Kaiba heard him huff a laugh. He turned around, intending to unleash another tirade, when Atem spoke first.

“What about a trial that may benefit both of us?” he asked, a challenging gleam sparkling in his eyes. Kaiba huffed, but didn’t turn back around.

“And what would that be?”

“Just-” Atem reached up to cup Kaiba’s face, and suddenly Kaiba was stuck, unable to do anything as Atem leaned up on the tips of his toes to reach and-

Atem’s lips landed on Kaiba’s and Kaiba couldn’t help but let his eyes fall closed. His heart stopped jumping and instead settled into a contented fluttering. Why did this feel right, feel  _ good? _

_   
  
_ Whatever the reason, Kaiba couldn't help himself from moving his lips against Atem's own surprisingly smooth ones. He probably moisturized regularly. Kaiba couldn't stop cataloging everything about the kiss, from which sort of pressure made Atem hum to where exactly he needed to move his head to get the best angle.

As Atem broke their kiss, Kaiba’s eyes stayed closed. He took a moment to indulge, to  _ allow _ himself to feel for just a brief second. When the allotted second was over, Kaiba opened his eyes to find Atem also opening his own.

Clearing his throat, Kaiba huffed.

“That was… Adequate,” he settled on. Atem didn’t frown, or yell, or scoff. Instead, he smiled.

“Since when does Seto Kaiba settle for mediocre?” he challenged, before leaning in once more.

Kaiba allowed Atem to kiss him once more, and a deep, hidden part of his mind whispered  _ maybe this is okay _ .

Kaiba wasn’t so sure, but now wasn’t the time to figure it out.

  
Right now, he was busy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, feel free to leave kudos/comments!


End file.
